Is NXT Hurting the Main WWE Brand?

Over the last few months, the WWE has suffered a string of injuries. Randy Orton, Tyson Kidd, John Cena, Nikki Bella, Cesaro, Daniel Bryan, Sin Cara, Sting, and Seth Rollins have all suffered long term injuries that will likely keep all out of WrestleMania and forced the WWE to change plans for the biggest event of the year.

Most people have given suggestions on how the WWE can improve while many of their stars are sitting home rehabbing and recovering. This very column has made many suggestions on how the WWE can build new main event stars. After all, that’s the WWE’s biggest problem. They’ve been so reliant on John Cena and Randy Orton over the last decade that they’ve ignored their depth issues. Sure, the WWE has elevated a handful of wrestlers over the years like CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, and Seth Rollins to the main event scene. However, with the exception of Roman Reigns, the WWE hasn’t tried to elevate anyone as a potential “face of the company.” The problem is that if the Roman Reigns Project doesn’t work, which it hasn’t thus far, the WWE will be forced to go back to John Cena- again.

DEVELOPMENT

While watching the Royal Rumble, when AJ Styles entered the match, I was pretty excited. I wasn’t excited that he signed with the WWE. I was happy, because he debuted ON THE MAIN ROSTER!!!! This got me thinking, how many wrestlers have bypassed the WWE’s developmental territory and went straight to the main roster since NXT was created? While Kevin Owens spent the shortest time in development, Sin Cara (Mystico) is the only wrestler that I can think of that didn’t spend any time in NXT before debuting on the main roster. Why?

Look at a list of NXT alumni. Wade Barrett, Daniel Bryan, Dean Ambrose, and Seth Rollins are just some of the names that started their WWE career in NXT. Others, like CM Punk spent time in development under the Florida Championship Wrestling banner.

CM Punk was a six-year veteran when he signed with the WWE, and spent almost two additional years in development before making his main roster debut. While Wade Barrett was wrestling for only three years before signing with the WWE, he spent six long years in development. Daniel Bryan wrestled all around the world for a decade before signing with the WWE. Even though he was loaded with experience, he was still forced to spend several months in development before becoming a main roster mainstay. Dean Ambrose wrestled for seven years before signing with the WWE. From there he spent a year and a half in development before being called up. Seth Rollins wrestled for five years before signing with the WWE in 2010. By that time, many already considered him one of the best wrestlers in the United States. Despite the praise, Rollins spent an additional two years and three months before debuting on the main roster.

While I understand the need for development, as the WWE signs a lot of wrestlers who have little to no experience. The WWE needs to look out for their future. In the past decade, the WWE’s biggest business move for the long term success of the company was creating their developmental system. NXT is a great thing for the industry, but is the WWE losing sight of what a developmental territory should be?

WHY IS THE WWE LOSING FOCUS WITH NXT?

For the last three years, NXT has won Best Weekly Wrestling TV Program in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. The WWE has decided to take full advantage of the success of NXT to create a new touring brand. However, instead of using the brand to develop the wrestlers who need the work, the WWE loads the NXT TV shows with performers that do not need to be in development, and should be on the main roster. While the true developmental wrestlers are getting the best training on a daily basis at the WWE Performance Center, the WWE needs to put the focus of the show on these developmental wrestlers. Think of it in terms of baseball. NXT is like AAA, whereas the WWE is the major leagues. AAA is for baseball players who are either no longer major league talent, or are just one step away from the big show. While I don’t think the WWE should be putting wrestlers who are greener than green on their NXT TV shows, I do believe that there are guys down there with a couple of years experience that could benefit from having TV time.

Look at some of the big stars on NXT television at the moment. Finn Balor started wrestling in the year 2000. He was a mainstay in Japan for eight years before signing with the WWE in 2014. Hideo Itami wrestled in Japan for fourteen years as Kenta Kobayashi before signing a deal with the WWE in 2014. Sami Zayn wrestled for a decade in places like Ring of Honor and Japan before he signed with the WWE in 2013. Samoa Joe wrestled for fifteen years, with a long stint in TNA, before signing on with the WWE last year. Bayley was a four-year ring vet before signing with the WWE, where she just finished year number three in NXT. Asuka has been wrestling since 2004 when she signed on with the WWE last year. Austin Aries just made his NXT debut after being in the business since 2000, where he worked for Ring of Honor, Dragon’s Gate, and TNA. The WWE just signed Shinsuke Nakamura, who will debut next month for NXT. Nakamura is arguably no worse than the second best wrestler in the world. Nakamura has been wrestling since 2002.

While it is beneficial for someone like Hideo Itami, Asuka, and Shinsuke Nakamura to spend time learning the WWE way of like for a few months in NXT, they shouldn’t be in NXT for an extended period of time. There is no reason for Finn Balor, Sami Zayn, Samoa Joe, and Austin Aries to be in NXT. While the WWE has created its own version of Ring of Honor with the NXT brand, they are hurting the main roster.

WHAT THE WWE NEEDS TO DO

If Finn Balor, Sami Zayn, Samoa Joe, and Austin Aries were already on the main roster, the WWE wouldn’t have been hurting as badly as they are today with the loss of the big main roster talents. The WWE would have already had the reinforcements in the WWE brand to offset the losses. Plus, the WWE would have received a shot in the arm when each man arrived with the reputations that were already bringing with them into the company. Think AJ Styles from this past Sunday night.

The WWE can’t have guys who don’t need the developmental system to be stuck in NXT. It’s not fair to the WWE. It’s not fair to the fans. It’s not fair to the performers who should be on the main roster instead.

At the same time, it’s a Catch 22. The only way a performer is going to improve is by being in the ring with performers that are better than themselves. Thus, there is a reason to have the Finn Balors and Samoa Joes in NXT. However, instead of using them against developmental wrestlers who need the experience, the WWE has them wrestling each other. Sure, it provides the fans with fantastic matches to watch. Unfortunately, this doesn’t help those who need to be developed. What the WWE should be doing with NXT is using wrestlers that are on the Rhyno level of their careers to be the ring generals against the true developmental talent. That should be what development is all about. The Finn Balors’ of NXT should be on the main roster. If you do this, NXT may not win Best Weekly TV Show in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. However, the main roster will be stronger and the WWE will truly be building for the future. NXT may not turn into the WWE’s version of Ring of Honor, but the main WWE brand will turn into ROH. Just like the WWF turned into a slicker version of ECW in the “Attitude Era,” today’s WWE could do the same as a new slicker version of ROH.